Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Labour Marginals Fear Union Funding Backlash

Imagine the outcry there would be if a businessman admitted funding individual election campaigns as long as the Tory Party played ball on promoting private pensions. Today UNISON announced it was withdrawing funding from Labour MPs in marginal seats in the North West unless Labour reversed its policy on public sector pensions. Most affected will be Labour MP David Borrows whose South Ribble constituency has a wafer thin majority. Borrows now faces a dilemma. Does he tell UNISON to sod off and risk having no funds available to fight the already very active Tory candidate Lorraine Fulbrook, or will he speak up for his union paymasters? We'll be watching with interest.

Its interesting if UNISON are denying it - According to Labour Watch who have more further details, -"Unison Labour Link", the structure by which the giant public services union Unison deals with its relations with the Labour Party, has suspended its support for Labour.

Its statement reads:

In the circumstances of the union taking national industrial action against the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, named as Regulator and decision maker regarding the LGPS, in is felt that it is not appropriate or politically sensible to be organising, on one hand, for industrial action by the union while sending out letters and leaflets to many of the same members asking them to vote Labour.The decision has been taken to suspend our election campaigning work for Labour in the May elections while the industrial action is going on.Labour Link will not be giving any further donations or support to the campaign until we reach a solution to the present LGPS issue.This is a decision that affects our work for Labour’s election campaign in May nationally and locally.

With a name like Borrow (with or without the S) this story has legs!A few campign tips from the "Valley" should do the trick-with or without the TU's bankroll!!!PS-couldn't TB be drafted in to campaign in this highly marginal seat?